Meet Adam Lee Decker, the Hurricanes national anthem singer
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Adam Lee Decker sings the national anthem in Raleigh for the Carolina Hurricanes' first Stanley Cup playoff game of 2026. Photo: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images
Adam Lee Decker says getting the Carolina Hurricanes home crowd going with the national anthem is "one of the coolest gigs" of his career.
- "It's a unicorn gig. It's a unicorn song," Decker tells Axios.
Why it matters: The Hurricanes' sustained playoff success has turned Decker's anthem performances into a nationally televised ritual for millions of hockey fans.
By the numbers: The team is again among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, helping land prime TV slots.
- ESPN says last Saturday night's broadcast of the series opener against Philadelphia — which began with Decker's "Star-Spangled Banner" — had 2.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched second-round Game 1 ever.
As a matter of superstition, Decker will be donning the same outfit (or costume, as his wife calls it) throughout the Canes' eighth consecutive playoff run — black home jersey, custom-painted Nikes and ripped black and red pants.
- His accessories include a red wedding band, custom Whalers hat, pride bracelet (his "silent protest") and a growing playoff beard.
Zoom in: Decker, 42, has appeared on American Idol and America's Got Talent, and routinely performs around North Carolina at weddings, bars and sporting events.
- In addition to being the Canes' resident anthem singer for nine seasons, Decker has sung for the Carolina Panthers, Durham Bulls and Savannah Bananas. In May he'll perform in Charlotte for the U.S. men's national team's World Cup sendoff match against Nepal.
- A New York native, Decker first moved to Raleigh in 2008 for an a cappella job opportunity. He now lives in Durham with his wife and their two kids.
We talked with Decker for our latest Local Limelight conversation. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
🥩 Favorite place to eat in the Triangle? NanaSteak in Durham and Bida Manda in Raleigh.
☕️ Favorite coffee shop? Cocoa Cinnamon. Also Cup A Joe in Raleigh and Coco in Chapel Hill.
📱 First read in the morning? Whatever's coming through on my phone.
🎧 Do you have a go-to podcast? I'm a music listener. … Right now, it's really ambient music. [He recommends Space Relax Music Channel.]
- Staying calm, staying cool, staying present, because there's a lot of surge and a lot of hype that happens in that 90 seconds. You got ESPN in your face. You got people screaming. Make sure to take the towel out. Don't f--- this up.
- People say that to me, by the way, "Hey man, don't f--- it up tonight." Thanks, bud.
💿 Last great album you listened to? Angine de Poitrine, "Vol. II."
🎬 Last great movie you watched? I've got a 13- and 10-year-old. … The new Mario movie. It hits everything that they need. It hits everything that somebody growing up with a Nintendo needs.
🐕 Do you have any pets? An awesome, awesome little pup. Her name's Annie. She just turned 2. We did the DNA testing and 25% of her is "super mutt." She has these cute little Dobby ears.
🎤 Can you tell us about your game day routine? On paper, I'm only about 20 minutes away from the arena, but with these 7 o'clock starts. I just want to make sure that [Interstate] 40 is not going to be nuts. So I always leave two hours [before puck drop].
- Before I shower, I kind of give it a go. There's a specific piece of the door that I look at [while singing]. I just kinda see how it rolls out. In the shower, if there's a couple things I didn't like, I patch over those pieces, work through those, just kind of rep them.
- Then get ready, get to the arena, walk up and go see various tailgate friends, obviously, sadly, not participating. We definitely have to do the anthem sober.
- I go stand over at Buffalo Brothers [between sections 110 and 114] to watch the warmups. … I put a lozenge in during warm ups, and I put it up in my right upper lip, kind of like you would do a Zyn [nicotine pouch].
- I'll walk down 115, usually fist pumps on the way down. … I get handed my mic. … And get out there when duty calls.
🇺🇸 Has your anthem changed over the years? Not the meat and potatoes of those fun moments. It's actually the same riffs. I go, "the flag was still the-e-e-ere," and everybody hypes up and I do "[land of the] fre-e-e-ee" the same way.
- As I've aged and as I've gotten busier as a local musician with various bands and all that, I've definitely dropped it in key. Also, my mom likes it a little lower.
- You've got to be careful. The anthem — it means so many things to so many different people. … The hate mail is less and less these days, which is good.
🏟️ What is your dream performance venue, somewhere you haven't sung before? It would be great to do a playoff football game. … Singing a Super Bowl would be unbelievable.
🏖️ Favorite long weekend spot? The beach, specifically at like Thanksgiving time. It's not crazy hot. It's not crazy busy.
🔌 How do you unplug at the end of the day? I do enjoy just sitting watching sports. … Do I unplug? I think I try to unplug. … I don't know. I think I'm gonna unplug when I die.
💕 What's something you're looking forward unrelated to politics or work? Seeing my parents more. My mom just recently retired, which is awesome.